Corpse Party - Do I Want To Move On?
by Dragondemolition
Summary: It's been an entire year since Yosuhei and the crew's lives were changed forever. Starting his second year in Kisaragi Academy, Yosuhei is trying to find a way to resurrect his friends and girlfriend, from what happened that dreadful day. Though when a new girl transfers to his class, and he falls head over heels for her, he asks himself a difficult question. Do I Want To Move On?
1. Chapter 1 - The Guilt Of Forgetting

_Corpse Party_

 _Do I Want To Move On?_

 _Chapter 1 – The Guilt Of Forgetting_

An entire year had passed. I missed them. So much. I'd had to live with that horrible memory for an entire year now. The emotional pain was excruciating. I knew I wasn't the only one in pain. None of the others were acting like they used to.

The first three months after we had escaped from that horrible place, the most injured out of the bunch, being me and Ms. Yui, were walking around with bandages around our arms, or what we had left of our arms. Ms. Yui's injury was of course not as grave as mine, but she still had to get used to draw on the chalkboard with her left arm.

As for my own arm, Seiko's dad had asked me if I wanted a prosthetic one for quite a while now. The thought scared me to be honest. To have a piece of plastic strapped to your body, to have a piece of a fake body strapped to your real one… I kept wondering if my real arm was still somewhere in Heavenly Host, just lying on the floor or, rotting amongst the corpses of the many, many victims that had lost everything and more in there.

I felt like not only a part of my body, but a part of my soul, my part of my consciousness had died along with my arm in that terrifying place. And not only had I lost my true self in there, but even the best half of me was now dead, possibly still hanging from the noose in that old run down bathroom stall. I was of course thinking of Seiko, the better half of me, the one person I knew I was able to trust with my life.

There didn't go a single day ever since that horrible incident that I didn't think about her. I was so mentally scarred that there didn't go a single night without me having horrible nightmares about her, about that damned school. About the ghosts and the horrors that had terrorized us for hours on end an entire year ago, the latest being the distorted image of Seiko, with a crooked neck and a sadistic smile, desperately chasing me around in the accursed halls of Heavenly Host, to kill me with her giant bloodsoaked hammer.

I didn't pay much attention in school, because I was too occupied by worrying about my friends and my mental state to really care about the adequate amount of insignificant information that the teachers at my high school tried to stuff down my throat.

Ms. Yui's classes was the only classes I really tried to pay attention to. Not only because we had been through so much together, but because I wanted to learn as much about the English language as I possibly could. I needed to learn as many languages as possible, for one particular reason.

Ever since I was discharged from the hospital after fleeing from that school, I had researched as much as I could on any kind of magic form that I could find. Black magic, holy magic. Just magic at all. I was a Shinozaki, so magic ran in my family's veins. And I simply had to find a spell or a phrase that could help me.

I was getting desperate. I wanted to see Seiko and the others again so bad, I was even willing to risk my own life to the hands of black magic to get to see her again. I was looking for a distinct spell or phrase that could help me return a lonely soul from the grasp of the dead's world, and I was getting desperate, as I had been searching every day for an entire year without getting anywhere.

I had told Satoshi and the others who were involved a year ago about it, and not surprising, they were strongly against it. Though I wasn't going to let that stop me. No one was going to keep me from trying to revive Seiko. Not even my friends.

I was currently sitting by my desk, in the middle of class. By the blackboard our teacher was droning on and on about how quadratic equations was very important to remember, since it would be part of the test late this year. Of course it is dumbass, or you wouldn't teach us this stuff, which even then I thought it would be utterly useless to teach someone like me, who didn't give two shits about math to begin with.

Instead of listening to the teacher's droning, I looked down at my notebook with an irritated grunt, crossing over all the possible spells I had tried to use to revive Seiko. Most of them were fake of course, but I couldn't risk glossing over something which later would turn out to actually work.

I was beginning to panic. To think that it was never possible to revive someone from the dead. Of all the things that black magic could do for you, and it couldn't help me with that one problem I had!? I was getting frustrated, and had often found myself throwing my notes for class, or black magic, around in my room at the Shinohara's in anger.

As I was crossing over the last sentence on my list violently in irritated and angry irritation, The teacher suddenly made an announcement.

"Alright class, so now that I'm SURE you're paying attention," he sent an unpleasant glare my way. Asshole. He doesn't know what I've been through "I have an announcement to make"

He looked over to the door of the classroom, which I hadn't noticed had opened, as he gestured to someone outside to come in.

"Come on in, Sakurai-san"

I furrowed my brow quietly as my curiosity peaked, when the person outside stepped inside the classroom. I widened my eyes quietly as I saw the person.

She was absolutely stunning. I felt my heart speed up a hundred times faster as I laid eyes upon her. Long blonde hair that almost reached her hips put up into a ponytail on each sides of her head with blue ribbons, which swayed slightly as she walked. She was tall and slender, her curves seductive as she walked forward. She had a confident smile on her bright pink lips as she stood beside the teacher's podium, and looked over the class with dark blue ocean eyes.

Her hair looked so silky and beautiful, and I found myself completely stunned as I watched the girl look over the class with an adorable smile, and her beauty shined as she greeted us.

"I'm Ichiko Sakurai" She said as she waved quietly and bend her hip outwards in an adorable pose "Nice to meet you all"

I felt shivers run down my spine, and as soon as I had laid my eyes on her I had forgotten all about the spells in my notes. I soon snapped out of my daze though as the teacher continued where Ichiko left off.

"So, we have a new transfer student in our class today" He said with a small smile "Ichiko here is highly praised by her teachers in her old school, so make sure to make her feel welcome, okay?"

The class students responded with a collective "Understood" before they returned back to the rest of the lecture at hand. Myself though, were only occupied with the new girl in class. I was almost ashamed of myself of thinking like that about her already, but I still found myself unable to pry my gaze away from her as she found her way to the windows in the left of the class, and opened up one of her notebooks to pay attention.

After class, that girl was still swirling in my head. It seemed really sudden that a new transfer student would just appear in our classroom like that, but still, new transfer students wasn't anything new.

As I was packing away my books into my strap bag, and about to head into the hall, Satoshi approached me with a soft smile.

"What do you think about the new girl?" he asked with a smile as he looked in her general direction "Half of the class already seems to be her friend"

It was definitely true. 10 or maybe 12 people were already crammed around Sakurai, chatting and asking her questions, like how old she were, what she preferred to do, etcetera. I just chuckled quietly as I leaned my head against my arm and onto my desk.

"I guess so" I mumbled quietly "Don't you think she's pretty?"

Satoshi looked down at me with a small smirk. I widened my eyes as I realized what I had just said.

"Hehe, having a crush already huh?" He said with a teasing smirk.

"C-Come on dude, that's not cool" I said with a pout as I looked up at him "It would be insensible to Seiko's memory to think like that already"

His smirk suddenly turned a lot more serious, and he clapped my shoulder comfortingly.

"Come on dude, it's been an entire year" he mumbled as he squeezed my shoulder "Seiko would have wanted you to move on by now. She wouldn't have held anything against you"

"T-That might be so, but…" I mumbled, still protesting "I'm not interested in getting a new partner. I'm not over it"

He nodded quietly.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have joked like that" He mumbled quietly, looking at me apologetically "I should have been more sensitive towards you and your feelings"

"It's okay Satoshi, you couldn't have known" I mumbled quietly.

"Well, anyway, let's go meet the others" He said with a smile as he pulled me up by the arm "We were supposed to plan when to meet for sharing notes, remember?"

I nodded quietly and were about to follow after him into the hall, when we were suddenly called out to from behind.

"Hey! You two there!"

It turned out it was the new girl, who quickly pushed through the crowd that was cramping around her desk and walking over to us as she noticed that we were about to leave. She quickly trudged up to us with a happy smile.

"Hey guys" She said casually, grinning at us as she thrust out her hand for us to shake "Nice to meet you. Ichiko Sakurai at your service"

I smiled quietly and shook her hand.

"Yosuhei Misagara" I said "And this doofy guy over here is Satoshi Mochida"

"Hey, what's that kind of a greeting?!" He said with a grin as he shook Sakurai's hand as well "Did you want anything from us?"

"Well, I just want to meet my classmates is all" She said with a cute smile "And besides, I noticed your friend here, Yosuhei as soon as I stepped into the room"

I widened my eyes quietly as she said that.

"Huh? How come?"

"Well, for one thing, and not to be rude, but," She said with a wry and trying smile "you're the only one in this class with only one arm"

I instinctively found my good arm rush up and brush over the stump of an arm as she mentioned it.

"I was just curious as to what happened, if you don't mind me asking" She said quietly as she looked at me "It's totally okay if you don't want to though"

"No it's okay. I feel okay talking about it"

Of course I wasn't actually going to tell her what happened. If I told her a crazy spirit had cut my arm clean off with a pair of scissors, she and everyone else beside Satoshi would think I had gone completely mental.

So I told her the excuse I had told everyone else. That I had been caught in a car accident with Ms. Yui one day, and that a sharp piece of metal from the crashed car had crushed down on my arm, severing it in the process.

She looked at me pitifully and sorrowfully, as she stared down at the arm stump.

"How long have you been missing your arm?"

"About a year now" I said with a small smile "Ms. Yui luckily got away from it only breaking her arm and getting a lot of smaller injuries"

"I can understand that you guys really like her and her teachings"

"She is one of our favorite teachers, yes" I said with a smile.

Satoshi tapped my shoulder and smiled.

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit" He whispered with a chuckle "I'll go meet with the others, okay?"

And before I could protest and say he couldn't just leave me like that, he quickly disappeared into the hallway, leaving me with Sakurai.

"Where did Mochida suddenly go?"

"He's… Meeting some friends" I mumbled, internally noting myself to hit him for abandoning me later "Anyway, would you like a tour of the school? I know every little nook and cranny of this place"

"Sure, I'd love that"

And with that, we left the classroom, and proceeded into the hallway, so I could show Sakurai around the school.

~later that day~

I sighed quietly and kicked a small stone on the road. I was depressed. Depressed and guilty of myself. Guilty that I had actually thought about Sakurai like that. That I had admired the beauty of her and the seductiveness of her curves… NO! Now I was doing it again! DAMMIT!

"I'm sorry Seiko" I mumbled quietly "I don't want to forget you, but… Everyone is trying to convince me you're not real… It's not fair…"

I could soon feel heavy tears begin to fall. The whole world was trying to force me and the others to believe that the people that died in Heavenly Host Elementary never actually existed. And I didn't want to forget them. Especially not Seiko. But my shocking behavior earlier that day seemed that I was close to move on from Seiko, and about ready to move on, which was something I didn't feel I was ready for.

I sighed quietly and rubbed my sore eyes as I stepped through the front door of the Shinohara household. Mr. Shinohara was home early for once, not having to rely on me to take care of his kids, so at least I could cry in my room in peace today.

He looked at me worriedly as I stepped inside. I was sure that he could clearly see that I had been crying. I had been doing that a lot lately, if not of frustration that I couldn't find a proper spell, it was because I panicked since my memories from before Heavenly Host seemed to be fading.

Every day I could remember a little less, and little by little, I could feel my memories, my mind and my sanity, being eaten away by that ominous curse that I was still sure was looming over my head ever since I had escaped Heavenly Host.

And that's why I was so desperate to find that damn spell that was supposed to save my beloved girlfriend, before I would completely forget about her forever.

As I stepped into the kitchen, Mr. Shinohara stepped up to me and gripped my shoulder as he looked at me with a serious expression.

"Are you okay, Yosuhei?" he asked quietly "I can see you've been crying again… You've been doing that a lot"

I quickly wiped my eyes and looked at him with a sad expression.

"I'm fine Mr. Shinohara, I'm fine" I mumbled quietly as I looked up at him "I've just been a bit depressed lately. It will take too long and be too hard to explain"

"I have all the time in the world right now" he mumbled quietly as he looked at me worriedly "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I would prefer not, Mr. Shinohara" I mumbled quietly "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your help but… I don't feel like talking about it"

He nodded quietly and slowly let go of my shoulder.

"Okay. But make sure to talk to me if something comes up, okay?"

I nodded quietly and sighed before looking away and quickly walking to my room, closing and locking the door behind me.

I lied down in my bed with a dead expression. On it was all kinds of saved note with link after link, to website after website, containg several charms and spells that should be able to revive the dead. But I decided to instead of just gloating over how lost I really was, I'd rather just lie down and contemplate why I even existed in the first place, instead of having died in Seiko's place back in Heavenly Host.

As I stared up at the picture of Seiko, or the few remaining bits of it, I realized how quickly my mood had turned around that day. I had gone from pretty normal student behavior and mood, to crippling depression and sadness a few hours later.

This only made me realize how without my girlfriend, without my friends… I would remain unstable. I would remain a complete mess, a trainwreck that was only waiting to happen.

When I was about to roll onto my side and try to fall asleep, I suddenly heard ringing on the door. I looked up as I could hear Mr. Shinohara talk with someone, then shout of the stairs to me.

"Yosuhei! You have a guest!"

I widened my eyes a bit. Who could that be? I knew all my friends had plans, so it couldn't be them.

I trudged down the stairs and up behind Mr. Shinohara, who stepped backwards for me to get a better look at my visitor. I had my gaze casted downwards in a depressed manor the whole way down the stairs and into the entranceway, so I only now raised my gaze. And widened my eyes as I realized who it was.

"S-Sakurai-chan?"

"Hey, Misagara-kun!"

 **A/N**

 **Hey guys! Welcome to "Do I Want To Move on?" the continuation to Memory Loss and Blood Spill. I've been so excited to publish this first chapter, and now I'm finally doing it!**

 **So, hope you guys are liking what I'm doing with this story. I have a whole lot of drama, romance and comedy planned in the future, so keep your eyes and ears open for any future updates in the future!**

 **See you guys later, and keep reading. Peace out.**


	2. Chapter 2 - A Single Fleeting Moment

_Corpse Party_

 _Do I Want To Move On?_

 _Chapter 2 – A Single Fleeting Moment_

"S-Sakurai-chan!? What are you doing here!?"

"Oi, I've come all the way here to visit you, and that's how you greet me?" She said with a smirk "Can I come in?"

"O-Of course you can" I blushed a little and stepped backwards to let her in, and Mr. Shinohara chuckled quietly at my distressed expression.

"Is it a friend from school?" He asked, putting a hand on my shoulder as he watched Sakurai-chan walk in.

"More like an acquaintance" I mumbled as Sakurai-chan walked in and smiled as she kicked off her shoes "But still, how come you're here, Sakurai-chan? There must be a reason, right?"

"Well…" She blushed slightly and gave a smirk as she scratched her neck "I got a little worried when we talked, about you only having one arm and everything, so I came here to see if everything was okay"

I blushed quietly at her words. Judging from her words, she seemed to be a person who really cared about the people around her. That, and she was a social bird. Those were both qualities that she and Seiko had in common.

"W-Well, thank you" I said with a small smile "Everything here is okay though. I get help wherever I need it"

"Good" She said with a sweet smile "Well anyway, your friend, Satoshi was it? I met him on my way here, and he asked me to ask you about something"

"I see you're already making connections here" I said jokingly as we walked into the living room "What does he want to ask of me?"

"Well, he said he and some of his friends were meeting in the park" She said with a smile "He wondered if you wanted to go, and if yes, if I could go fetch you for him?"

"He asked you for a favor already?" I asked softly "You just met after all"

"That's certainly true, but I was happy to do him a favor" She said with a chuckle "To help others is a certain way to gain friends, which is one of my main goals"

'I guess she really cares about her social life' I thought to myself as we settled down into the couch 'But I don't think she'd ever have to fear losing friends. She seems like a good person'

I nodded quietly at her words and thought about it for a moment. Up until a few moments earlier, I had been quite depressed. At one side, I wanted to be alone so I could grief, which I had realized was a bad habit of mine. But at the other side, ever since we had escaped Heavenly Host, I had learned that being together with the others often would bring my spirits right back up to normal.

"I guess I don't have much to do" I mumbled, looking up at the clock hanging on the wall "And it's not that late"

She nodded quietly at my words, and chuckled.

"Why are you weighing your options?" She said teasefully as she winked "A cute girl is inviting you out. Isn't that enough reason?"

With those words she smirked and sat a bit closer to me, and I felt my breath get stuck in my throat as she looked at me flirtingly. Was she really flirting with me? And if so, why me?

"W-Well, I uhm…" I mumbled softly, telling her the first thing I could think of in a panic "I-I kind of have homework, uhm, isn't that right, Mr. Shinohara?"

I looked up at my caretaker, who was standing in the doorway to the living room, desperate for him to help me out of a situation like this. I could have sworn I saw a certain cat-like and mischievous grin on his face for a moment, before his facial expression turned into one of clueless confusion.

"What do you mean, Yosuhei?" He said with a confused look "You did all this week's homework, yesterday, didn't you?"

I blushed dark red and glared at him.

'Come on, you old bastard!' I swore at him internally, then turned towards Sakurai-chan.

"W-Well, I guess I'm free then" I said with a nervous wry smile "Let's go then, Sakurai-chan"

She giggled and nodded softly at me, no doubt enjoying the way I was looking at Mr. Shinohara in a panic, before standing up alongside me and filing out of the door behind me.

"Thanks for having me, sir!" She yelled back at Mr. Shinohara, before we walked down the street and disappeared around the corner of a neighboring house.

We had walked for a couple of minutes in what I felt was an awkward silence, when she turned to me with a little twirl and a happy smile.

"So, I noticed something" She mumbled as we walked "Your last name is Misagara right? But you're living with the Shinohara family"

I nodded softly and sighed. I had to lie to someone again. I had been asked this question before as well, and I was just going to give Sakurai-chan the same story I had given everyone else.

"Well, before Mr. Shinohara found me," I mumbled softly "I was actually in the street. I don't remember how, but somehow I had lost all my memories. I was starving, and didn't know how to take care of myself"

Her smile suddenly disappeared and she looked at me shocked, and worried.

"Oh my god… Then what?"

"Well, he decided to take me in" I say with a smile "He taught me everything I needed to know, and now I can at least decently take care of myself"

She nodded quietly and frowned.

"So, are you doing okay right now?" She asked softly "Is there something basic you don't understand?"

"Well, no" I said with a false smile "Mr. Shinohara taught me everything. He told me he would teach me how to drive a car next"

She smiled a little bit and nodded softly as we walked along the path leading into the city's giant park, the dirt crunching silently under our feet.

"He's a great man" She said with a soft smile "But, drive a car? You're missing an arm, is that completely safe?"

"Well, I might be getting a prosthetic, but that's a whole other story" I said with a chuckle "The point is, that Mr. Shinohara was kind enough to take me in. In return, I thought I would maybe play as the babysitter for the kids"

She nodded quietly and sighed softly.

"There's been a lot of tragedy in your life, huh?" She mumbled with a sad expression "From homelessness to losing your arm in a car crash"

"Yeah, you have no idea" I mumbled silently, before I spotted my friends by the playground "Oh! There they are! Hey guys!"

I smiled instantly once I saw them, and I gestured for Sakurai-chan to follow after me as I walked down to them.

"Hey everyone!" I said with a smile, as I sat down on one of the benches of the playground.

They all smiled and waved at us once we settled down in the playground with them, and Naomi spoke up.

"Already making friends, huh Sakurai-chan?"

"Please, just call me Ichiko" she responded with a laugh "Everyone else does. And yeah, I hope to make as many friends here as I possibly can"

That moment, I realized just how many personality traits she shared with Seiko. Loud and energetic, with no time to care about honorifics, and genuinely wanting to be good pals with everyone, and everything that had a name. It was almost like Seiko's soul had resurrected, and possessed a random poor girl, but of course I knew that that was indeed not possible.

"So, is there anything you guys wanna do?" She asked softly as she looked around at the group.

"We pretty much just came here to hang out, really" Yoshiki mumbled as he sat on the ground with Ayumi by his side "We didn't plan anything"

The evening went on like any other evening for our little group. I was probably the only one thinking deeper into it. I felt like something was missing, and of course I knew what it was. Seiko and the others wasn't with us anymore. Since then, nothing had felt the same. But none of the others seemed to think like I did, and it seemed like they had moved on from it. I just didn't want to…

When we had sat at that playground for a while, the sun began going down, and the air soon got cooler and we decided to take a walk to rewarm our cold bodies.

"Hey, my house is right nearby" Yoshiki said as he broke off a hearty conversation with Ayumi "What do you guys say we go there and get some drinks? I have some leftovers"

"I don't know, i've never drunk before" Sakurai-chan mumbled nervously.

Satoshi looked at her with a small smile and chuckled.

"How old are you, Ichiko?" He asked with a small smile.

"I'm 17, why?"

"Then it's okay, drinking is definitely on" He said confidently "There's always a first for new experiences, that's for sure. It's not like the police is gonna come and check if there's any underage drinkers"

He looked around at our group and we nodded in response. That's right, we always had a good time together when we were out drinking. It had turned into some memorable moments in our history, especially when we all went to do a slumber party at Mayu's house. It was one of my most precious memories.

I was quickly snapped out of my trance as Ichiko exclaimed excitedly.

"Sure! Bring it on!" She said with a smirk "I've never backed down from a challenge!"

"I have to warn you, Ichiko" Naomi said with a soft expression before settling beside Ichiko, like she wanted to keep her back "Yoshiki is more used to drinking than others. You shouldn't challenge him like that"

"Please, I know you guys will take care of me when I get drunk" Ichiko said with a laugh, and we starred at her a bit surprised.

"H-How do you know that?" I asked in curiosity "I mean, you just met us after all"

"Weeell," She admitted idly, giving me a playful wink "I don't, really. But I know that unless I try, I will never know whether to trust you. And besides, it gives another experience, right?"

I nodded in agreement. She certainly brought up a good point. But still, I was kind of worried that she might feel horrible if she drowned herself in alcohol. It didn't seem like she had much of a care in the world, and when something bad happened, she would just take it head-on like a boss. I liked that quality about her.

"Alright, then bring it on" I said in a challenging manner "Let's see how much it takes to drink you under"

She smirked and brought up her fist in a fistpump, and I did the same as I pressed my arm against hers. It seemed more like we had challenged each other to a fist fight rather than a drinking challenge, but we were both getting so competitively fired up that none of us really cared.

I had confidence in my ability to stay sober, and I definitely wasn't going down here. If I was going to go down, it was drunk. No questions asked.

As the others starred at me us with small smiles, they almost had to drag me and Ichiko away from each other to get us to stop glaring at each other challengingly, and as they did that, they pulled us along before we began dashing in a hurry towards Yoshiki's apartment.

When we first filed in, we each kicked off our shoes in the entryway, and hurried inside into the connected living room and kitchen. Satoshi and Naomi settled down in the couch, while Ichiko, Yoshiki, Ayumi and I settled down around the table in the kitchen. Yoshiki quickly ravelled through his refrigerator, before settling down several bottles of different kinds of drinks on the table.

The drinks included several different kinds and tastes of Sake, a single bottle of wine, something I had a hard time pronouncing called "Whiskey", and a single bottle of vodka, along with several bottles of Coca Cola and some juice.

"Is all this what you call leftovers?" Ayumi said as she glared at Yoshiki "Just how much did you have before?"

"Shh, that's not important" he said with a playful snicker, as he brushed off Ayumi's question.

She continued to mumble something incoherently, but apparently let him off the hook for now, as she instead turned from glaring at him, to starring at the huge amount of alcohol and drinks that was sprawled out in front of us.

"This is gonna be intense" I mumbled softly as I immediately grabbed a glass "Can we really drink that much?"

"I honestly doubt it" Satoshi said with a laugh "But I guess Yoshiki can just stuff all the alcohol we don't drink back into his 'Stash'"

"We should get some snacks in case we get too drunk" Naomi pointed out "Drinking on an empty stomach is a bad idea, after all"

"Oh yeah, let me help you with that Naomi"

After a couple of hours, we had all deteriorated into a state of complete misery. Or maybe misery wasn't the right word, we were having a good time after all. But I don't think I imagine things when I say that none of us could stand completely straight.

At some point, we had taken the drinks and put them on the kitchen counter, and pushed the kitchen table aside, so we had a lot of free space in the middle of the room. While some of us were doing that, Yoshiki had found a big speaker system, and put on music. It wasn't anything like techno or something you would dance to at a nightclub, but more slow and normal pop music, until now at least.

"you have a surprisingly flat playlist Yoshiki" Naomi commented "I thought maybe it'd be a bit more rock"

"What, even a badass can be sensitive" he had laughed.

And now, everyone was dancing happily. No one seemed to think about the concern of the neighboring houses, but then again, the music wasn't that loud. Everyone was dancing wildly to the bumpy pop music, having an amazing time.

I had been standing against a wall to the side, watching how Ichiko had switched from dance partner to dance partner, boy and girl alike, just having an awesome time. There wasn't anything particularly sexy or seductive about anyone's dance moves, like you might expect. We were just having fun, no funny thoughts was behind.

Suddenly, a slow song turned on, and everyone found a dance partner. Even before the song had started, you could predict who would be dancing with each other. Naomi with Satoshi, Yoshiki with Ayumi. Though I wasn't sure what Ichiko was gonna do now. She didn't have anyone particular to dance with, so maybe she would go back to the kitchen to get a drink?

At first it seemed like it, but suddenly, she turned sharply, and walked in my direction, before settling against the wall beside me in a half-drunk slum.

"Oh, hey there" She said, trying to act like she just now noticed me, even though she had her gaze on me the entire time she walked towards me "Why aren't you dancing?"

"A slow dance by myself?" I asked with a raised eyebrow "Sure, I want to feel like the loser of the party"

"You do have a partner though"

I had brought a beer up to my lips, but almost choked when I heard her words. I let the beer fall from my lips again, before looking at her in surprise.

"Huh? Wh-!?"

But before I could even ask what she meant, she had snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me along to our home-made dancefloor, before putting her arms around my neck and pulling me closer to her. I blushed dark red as I felt her body heat come closer.

"B-But I only have one arm" I mumbled ,desperate to escape this embarrassing situation "Can you even dance with only one arm?"

"Of course you can, just place your hand on my hip" She said with a small smile "Have you danced before?"

"Well, yes. Once before, but" I mumbled, getting flustered and shy "It's been a while I guess"

"Okay, then let me take the lead" She said with a smile "Let's just sway a bit to the music, okay?"

"But why did you decide to dance with me?" I mumbled as she brought me a bit closer.

"Well, you seemed a bit lonely by the wall, all by yourself" she said, her smile dropping the tiniest bit "And besides, I didn't want to stop dancing. It would be boring, you know?"

"Guess that's true" I mumbled softly.

As we stood there and swayed to the music, I couldn't help but get lost in her eyes. Those ocean blue eyes. They were big and round, almost like orbs. I felt my eyes draw towards her lips, and studied them closer. They were small, lush and pink. Not a single crack was to be found in her silky white skin. Everything about her was perfect.

Somehow, she made a fire inside me reignite itself, even though I had felt that fire die out more than a year ago. But somehow, she awakened something inside me that I thought was long dead. And even though I had only just met her that same day, I could feel deep in the pit of my soul that she was going to be a huge impact on my life, one way or another.

I had felt bad for feeling this was towards her earlier that day, since I didn't want to betray Seiko's memory, but at the same time, I felt tempted at what the friendship with Ichiko could possibly bring.

And as we stood there and swayed to the music, which almost faded in the background, I was certain at one thing.

I didn't feel regret for a single second.


	3. Chapter 3 - Painful Recollections

_Corpse Party_

 _Do I Want To Move On?_

 _Chapter 3 – Painful Recollections_

~The Following Morning, Yosuhei's POV~

I had a splitting headache that morning when i woke up. Someone had been so evil to have drawn the curtains back, letting the sunlight wave into the living room I was currently lying in. I could feel something heavy against my back, and I turned around to look what was lying against me. I widened my eyes and caught a gasp in my throat as I saw it was a person. It was Sakurai-san.

I felt my heart begin to beat faster in my chest, and I had to keep myself under control to not scream and push her off me, waking up the entire apartment in the process. But having her this close to me, in such a situation, gave me a feeling of wanting to scream.

As I writhed under her, she smiled quietly before softly opening her eyes, staring straight into mine. I could feel the blush in my face deepen, but she just giggled and held onto me a bit tighter.

"Good morning" She whispered softly, holding up a finger for me to keep quiet.

"U-Uhm I uhm, aba…"

It felt like my tongue was tying itself up in knots, and I couldn't get out the words I wanted to. It was almost like my brain short-circuited, and I could no longer control what came out of my mouth. This just made her giggle even more and pull away a little.

"Sorry, am I too close?"

I could only nod as we got a bit farther apart, and settled down on each our own side of the couch. It was still morning, judging from the sun waving in through the curtains in the living room.

"W-What happened last night?" I mumbled quietly. It finally seemed like I had gained at least some control over my own words.

"Well, eventually, people got so drunk they began filing to bed" Sakurai-san said with a giggle "Yoshiki was the last one to hit the hay, I remember. And we were kinda tight on sleeping space, so I decided to sleep beside you"

I blushed quietly and nodded. That did make sense. It would be tough to find space for 6 people in an apartment meant for only 1 person. As I began to look around, I also realized that Satoshi and Naomi was lying on the floor in their own sleeping bag, which made me assume that Yoshiki and Ayumi had decided to share his bedroom.

"J-Just one question…" I mumbled quietly, trying to keep my teeth from chattering from nervousness

She giggled quietly and smiled at me.

"Yes?"

"W-Why were you lying so close to me?"

She shrugged a little and giggled again, one of the bra straps on her shoulder falling down around her arm under her shoulder-less t-shirt.

"I don't know, I guess I just lied down last night" She mumbled with a yawn "But let's get up"

"Huh? Already?" I mumbled as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes "It's only like, 9.30 in the morning or something…"

"Yeah, but I guess I've never been one for sleeping in" She said with a smirk.

I could feel a sting at my heart with that statement. Seiko never was either. Even when she had been piss drunk the night before, and had a hangover worse than anyone else, she would still always find energy to jump out of bed, somehow.

I quickly pushed the thought out of my mind, not really feeling like being depressed that morning, and got up from the sofa. I saw Sakurai-san as she made her way over to the blinds and peeked out through them.

"Ahh, it's such nice weather outside" She said with a bright smile "I think I'm gonna go for a walk"

"You have too much energy you know?" I mumbled, still trying to ignore the splitting headache "Wake me up when it's like, 3 or something…"

"Oh no mister, you're coming with me!"

I was about to lie down on the couch again when she suddenly took my arm and began showing my clothes into my arms. This was when I realized I was only wearing boxers and a t-shirt, and I quickly pulled on my jeans.

"H-Huh? Why!?"

"Shhh! Don't wake the others!"

I quickly clasped a hand over my mouth in realization before I began to whisper instead.

"Why do you want me to go too?"

"I need someone to go with, besides, you need some fresh air" She said with a giggle as she began pulling on a set of shorts as well.

I blushed quietly as I thought about it. We had lied in bed together, only our underwear and thin t-shirts to divide the space between us. Somehow, the thought of that felt good rather than embarrassing.

"Well, it's not because I'm opposed to it I guess" I mumbled quietly "I could use a couple more hours of sleep though"

"Too bad, you need this" She said with a giggle "Come on, let's go already, slowpoke!"

I had barely even put on my shoes before she began dragging me out the front door and out on the road. I pouted quietly as I followed after her hesitantly.

"Don't you have a headache, at all?" I asked with a raised eyebrow as I finally reached her side "I remember you drinking a lot of alcohol last night"

"Of course, migraine deep in my brain" She said with a goofy smile "That's why I want a breath of fresh air"

"Guess that makes sense" I said with a chuckle "Normally when I drink, I can barely even pull myself together to get out of bed"

Sakurai-san laughed quietly at this and nodded, just as we turned left onto the path of the park, the leaves of the green canopy over us rustling happily as a breeze ran over the area.

I used to love this park, back before The Heavenly Host Incident. It used to be a place where I could truly relax, have fun with my friends. As opposition to the rest of the city, this place was quiet and peaceful, but after what had happened, I was too haunted by my past trauma to ever relax whenever I would go near this place.

I could even see our own little special place somewhere in the distance past the park. The place where me and her had had our only ever date. Just thinking about it made my heart sting with loneliness, though before I could think too deeply about it, Sakurai-san tugged at my arm.

"Let's go over to the pond" She said with a giggle as she led me along.

I sighed silently and tugged my hands in my pockets as I followed after her. At least she didn't have any of that brutal nature to worry about.

We sat down by the water's edge, and Sakurai-san pulled off her shoes and dipped her toes beneath the surface, almost sending a visible ripple through her body.

"Brrr! It's cold!"

She immediately retracted her foot, almost jumping around from the apparent coldness of the water of the pond.

"What? It's high summer, it can't be that cold" I mumbled, doubting if she was overreacting or not.

I dipped my own toe into the water, and immediately felt the cold run through my body all the way up to my head.

"WAH! It IS cold!"

I immediately pulled back my foot and jumped around in surprise, all while Sakurai-san didn't even try to hide a laugh, and looking over at me with laughter tears in her eyes.

"I TOLD YOU SO!" she yelled at me as she continued to laugh hysterically.

I glared at her playfully as I began to calm down, and I walked back over to her.

"You should have warned me about putting my foot in there" I said with a chuckle "I'm sure I'm going to have a cold now"

"If that happens, I'll just have to look after you, until you get better" She said with a smirk, as she skipped over to me "You okay?"

"Sure, just surprised" I mumbled as I let my foot rest in the grass "Ahh… Always liked feeling the grass under my feet…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean" She mumbled with a giggle "Wanna lie down with me?"

I could feel heat flare up in my face again, and I felt my heart begin to beat faster in my chest.

"U-Uhm, I don't know…"

"Come on, we're just gonna relax" She said with a smile, quickly pulling down at the edge of her skirt before sitting down "You coming?"

I sighed silently and nodded to myself. Lying down next to a girl like this, wouldn't have to mean anything at all. So I quietly laid down beside her, and looked up at the sky as the wind rushed over the plains of the park, and over us.

She giggled quietly as she looked over at me, nodding quietly with a smirk.

"Welcome to the dark side" She giggled again, smirking at me evilly "How does it feel, to let the corruption flow through you?"

"You're completely insane" I said with a chuckle as I turned my attention to our surroundings "Have you realized we're the only ones here at the moment?"

She looked around us as well, her eyes widening in realization. She nodded softly and rested her arms under her head as she got comfortable on the ground.

"Yeah. Feels almost serene, doesn't it?" She mumbled as she closed her eyes "You know what?"

"What?" I asked, having completely forgotten about my earlier worry.

She smirked and began talking in a weird ominous voice.

"I can hear the voices of the trEeeEEEEeesss~"

I almost burst out laughing and held my stomach.

"Who are you, Pocahontas?!" I laughed loudly and almost got tears in my eyes.

"Who knows!? I might be!" she said with a laugh as she punched my arm "No but seriously, the wind almost sounds like a voice like this"

"I know what you mean…" I finally admitted with a chuckle, done with teasing her as I turned my attention back towards the nature around us.

"Do you do stuff like this often?" she asked, to which she got a shake of my head.

"Not anymore" I admitted silently, letting my mouth running farther than I would normally like "Not since Seik-!"

I almost mentioned her name, but before I could shut myself up, Sakurai-san had already picked up the name of the girl I had loved so much.

"Seiko huh?" she asked softly, her expression turning from an amused smile to a concerned frown "Do you mind talking about what happened?"

She sounded like she only thought that Seiko and had had a disagreement or something of the like, or maybe even broken up. If only destiny had been so mild.

"To be honest…" I mumbled, a sigh escaping my lips "I would rather not… To explain would take too long and be too complicated… And I honestly doubt you'd believe me"

She frowned quietly and nodded, clapping my arm.

"I understand. Just know I'm here to talk if you want to"

She was surprisingly respectful considering her open and maybe a bit insensitive nature, and I smiled quietly and nodded as I looked over at her.

"Thanks…"

~Later that morning~

After having lied in the grass for a while, talking about this and that, we decided to head back and

find the others, maybe even get some breakfast. The others had already woken up when we got

back, walking around in their Pj's and putting the stuff from yesterday's party away.

Yoshiki smirked quietly as he spotted us walking in.

"Where have you two been?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Keep it to yourself, pervert" Sakurai-chan said with a chuckle "It's nothing like you think"

I was amused at how well she was taking that kind of teasing. Even Seiko, the queen of all perverts,

Would often blush if anyone ever teased her about anything even nearly perverted.

"I can respect a woman who can call someone off" Yoshiki said with a chuckle "Though I usually

like them cute and shy"

Just as he said that, Ayumi walked by in a groggy daze, and he sent her a wink. She immediately woke up and rushed back into the bedroom she had been sharing with him, and he just chuckled and looked back at us.

"Sometimes I wonder which head you're thinking with" I said sarcastically as we went farther into

the apartment "How far have you guys gotten? With cleanup I mean?"

"It's going alright" he said with a smirk "Pretty sure it would go faster if everyone's heads weren't

exploding"

"Well, let's get it over with so everyone can go back to bed" I said with a chuckle before we began

to help clean up.

The whole apartment was a giant mess. There was bottles and cans everywhere, on the floor, on the

kitchen counter, and Yoshiki had even snuck a bottle of Sake with him and Ayumi to bed yesterday

night when they went to bed.

Party supplies, streamers and small flags were lying everywhere, confetti was hanging off the lamp

in the kitchen and the drawers. It basically looked like a bomb had went off in there, except it was

more like a tornado. An insane, loud, crazy party tornado.

Eventually, the apartment actually looked habitable again, and each of us settled down in the kitchen or the living room to relax our tired minds.

"Last night was a blast huh?" Satoshi asked with a smirk "I have a feeling Yuka's gonna scold me

when I get home"

"For what?" Yoshiki asked with a smile.

"For getting a hangover of course" He answered with a sigh "She doesn't like when I hurt in any

way"

"Well, you were just having a good time" Sakurai-chan said with a giggle "She'll have to accept

that"

"Yuka is very protective of her Dear Big Brother" Naomi said with a teasing tone in her voice "It's

a wonder he even managed to get here alone"

"Hey, she's not that protective" He mumbled with a pout "But now that we're talking about her, I

should probably get home. She's probably worried sick"

And with those words, he got up and began to head to the entranceway, with a last wave of goodbye

with his hand. One after one, we eventually began filing to the exit, and eventually left Yoshiki

alone, while Ayumi had insisted to stay with him and "Help with the last bit of trash". Of course we

all knew what that was supposed to mean.

Eventually, since Sakurai-chan and I was going to head in the same direction, we ended up alone

together, walking down the street silently. Finally, she spoke up.

"Hey, Yosuhei?"

"Yeah, Sakurai-chan?"

"First of all, call me by my first name" she said with a giggle "It just seems weird for me to call you

Yosuhei, but you're calling me by my last name"

"O-Okay, okay, I will" I said with a nervous chuckle "So Ichiko, what was your question?"

"Well, you said something about Seiko, right?"

I immediately felt the sting of regret and fear again. I really didn't want to talk about her, not

because she wasn't pleasant to talk about, but because of the memories that followed with the

mention of her name.

"What was she like? When you were still together I mean?"

It had been a question I had feared would come up from my other friends as well. It meant that I

would have to dig into the memories I had with her, which was something I wanted keep

remembering, but at the same time, memories that were painful to dig too deep into.

"Well, to be honest, she was a lot like you, Ichiko"

She blinked at me a couple of times, seemingly a bit confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, energetic, outgoing, somewhat perverted" I added the last bit with a small smirk, and she hit

me across the shoulder.

"HEY!"

"Okay, okay, sorry" I said with a chuckle "Anyway, she was very outgoing and energetic, and she

was one of the most important people in my life"

"She sounds like she was very precious to you" She mumbled quietly.

"Yeah. I regret that we had to part but…" I mumbled quietly "it was really not something I had the

power to control"

No. I didn't have the power. Even as a Shinozaki, I couldn't do a damn thing to prevent what

happened. I had felt so hopeless, useless. I felt such horrible despair when I saw her hanging from

that noose.

To have suffered through slow and painful suffocation… Just the thought of it made me shudder.

"Let's just say it's something I will have to learn to put behind me"

"I guess so" She mumbled softly "Staying lost in the past can only lead to more sadness"

"You don't even know"

From then on, none of us said anything. I was left with my own thoughts, pondering about Ichiko's

words. I felt like my studies within black magic to bring back Seiko had hit a dead end in the road,

and I felt like I was ready to give up.

The glimmer of hope I had held onto so desperately was slowly fading away, and the thought pained

me beyond knowledge. But just as Ichiko said, maybe it was time to move on, from all of these

painful recollections.


	4. Chapter 4 - Darkness Returns

_Corpse Party_

 _Do I Want To Move On?_

 _Chapter 4 – Darkness Returns_

It had been a few months since we had held that bomb of a party at Yoshiki's place. Ever since, Ichiko and I had grown closer and closer to each other. We would often spend our school breaks together, eating our lunch together and so on. She reminded me so much of Seiko, that I couldn't help but enjoy her company.

My research on dark magic had been set into a screeching halt, and so far, the many dark magic spells I had collected all turned out to be either fake or not really working at all. It was frustrating, that all my effort hadn't bore any fruit.

That day we were going through classes as always. Luckily, we were finishing off the day with Ms. Yui's English class, which meant that I wouldn't have to end this day with a massive boredom. Luckily, Ms. Yui's arm had pretty much healed up completely, so she didn't mess up or have even close to as hard of a time as she had when she couldn't use the right arm.

"Yosuhei? Yosuhei are you there?"

A voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts and I realized that the whole class was looking at me, including Ms. Yui. Apparently, she had asked for me to go to the board and try to translate a complicated Japanese sentence to English, but I hadn't really been listening since I was so occupied with my black magic.

"U-Uhm, yeah, Ms. Yui?"

"Would you translate?"

I couldn't tell if she was annoyed at my absent mindset, or worried about it. I quickly got up from my seat and went up to the board, but despite this being my current favorite subject, I still couldn't do much about this sentence. Seemed like my experiments with black magic had managed to pull me away from even English.

"U-Uhm, I'm not sure how to do this…"

"It's okay Yosuhei, sit down" Ms. Yui said with a sigh "Katayama, please come to the board"

I sighed quickly and turned on my heel to head back to my seat, feeling defeated. Everything was horrible. Not only had I not managed to bring back Seiko, I had even torn my focus away from school, and fallen behind. I felt extremely defeated and beaten. I was miserable and depressed that day.

At lunch, Ichiko found me as always, although a little worried about me, and smiled as she looked into my eyes.

"I actually think we should go to the music room to eat today" She suddenly said out of the blue.

"Huh? Why, Ichiko?" I asked in surprise as we walked through the halls "Is eating in the music room even allowed?"

"Who cares? It's lunch time, and all the teachers are at their offices" She said with a smirk "Or are you chicken?"

Yeah right. I had survived through a haunted school filled through with murderous little children's spirits. Like hell I was scared to bend the rules a little bit.

"You know what, you're right" I finally gave in and smiled as I grabbed my lunchbox "Let's go before someone spots us"

She giggled deviously and smiled as she grabbed her lunchbox and took my wrist as she lead me along. I smiled quietly and quickly jogged up to her side, before we walked side by side to the music room.

~Satoshi's POV~

I frowned quietly as I stood around the corner, my friends all around me. Just a little further down the hall, Ichiko and Yosuhei was chatting, before Ichiko finally took his hand and led him down the hall, towards the music room like they had been talking about.

Lately, we had all noticed how much they actually hung out. Ichiko would go home to his place all the time, invited or not, and they always ate lunch together. They had gotten a lot closer, and it was obvious to everyone around them.

The little group we had left obviously knew too. We knew Yosuhei too well to not notice how much happier he had become lately, and Ichiko was just generally happy all the time. Of course the subject of them possibly becoming a couple was passed around as an idle school rumor, and we had also talked about it in our group.

"What do you guys think?" I mumbled as I turned back to the rest, to hear their opinion on the matter.

"Well, if it actually happens, of course I'll be happy for them" Naomi said with a smile "I think Yosuhei needs something else to focus on than what happened back then…"

I nodded quietly and sighed as I looked back around the corner. Yosuhei and Ichiko were long gone. I was kind of split on the whole thing. At one point, it could just be us overhyping it, and it not actually being as big of a thing as we thought in the first place.

At the same time, if they actually got together, I wasn't sure what I was going to think. At one hand, Yosuhei could possibly begin to move past what happened, and the scars his mentality had. But at the other hand, that also meant that he would eventually forget about Seiko and the others. Would that happen to all of us at one point?

I didn't want to forget about the others, but at the same time, we couldn't go around and be emotionally scarred forever.

I sighed a bit and turned back around the wall as I faced the others.

"No one follow them, understand?" I said with a suspicious raise of an eyebrow.

Everyone looked at me with surprise in their eyes, and Naomi stepped forward to glare at me.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" She mumbled with a frown "I wouldn't…"

"Come on Naomi, don't you dare say you didn't consider it!" I retaliated.

She blushed a little and turned away with a huff.

"I-I did not!"

"Whatever, let's just get to the classroom already" I mumbled with a sigh as we began pulling back.

The thought still lingered in my mind. I honestly had no idea which result I'd rather want to happen. But as much as everyone was thinking about it, it really wasn't up to any of us to debate. It was Yosuhei who were going to make the final decision in the end.

~At The Music Room, Yosuhei's POV~

I smiled quietly as Ichiko and I walked into the music room. It was incredibly silent in here. Light was filtering in the room through the window, and you could see the dust and particles in the air through the rays filtering into the room. As soon as Ichiko closed the door behind her, it almost sounded like all the chattering and the sound from outside was muted, and disappeared the moment that Ichiko and I were left alone.

I smiled quietly and sat at the windowsill as I opened my bento. As much as you would expect it to be made by Mr. Shinohara, it was actually made by Yuu and his other siblings, since Mr. Shinohara was very busy. It made me proud to see how well the young ones was doing. It almost felt like Seiko was "Passing down her cooking skills" or something like that.

I sighed silently. I hadn't realized that I was looking down at my bento with a glum look, and Ichiko looked up at me with a wondering expression.

"Are you okay Yosuhei?" She asked worriedly "You look down"

I looked up at her in surprise but nodded silently with a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Ichiko" I said silently "I just… Have a lot of things to think about"

"Are you worried about the tests coming up?" She asked as she sat beside me in the windowsill.

I looked up at her and shook my head.

"It's not that. Can we just not talk about it?"

She frowed quietly and sighed as she looked down at her hands, which was folded at her lap in worry.

"Well, I just hoped you would trust me with it… I mean, you're down all the time lately."

"It's okay Ichiko, really" I mumbled as I felt the guilt rise in my chest "You would think I was lying to you if I actually told you…"

She frowned quietly but picked up her spirits and jumped down the windowsill, stepping up to the music instruments in the back of the classroom.

"Well, let's not think about it then" She said with a smile "You know what?"

"No, what?" I asked in curiosity.

"I've always wanted to be able to play the violin" She said with a smile, running her fingers over the smooth wooden surface of the instrument.

"Really? Why have you never taken classes?"

"Well, I've had a lot of things I wanted to try as a kid" She said with a smile "I guess violin lessons wasn't on the top of my bucket list"

I shrugged a bit and smiled, looking at Ichiko as she admired the instrument.

"I bet you'd be an awesome violinist" I said with a smile.

"Yeah…"

I noticed how she fell silent, and I got a little worried. She was never quiet.

"Are you okay?"

She looked up at me with a smile and nodded.

"Of course" She said with a smile "I'm just sitting here wondering what would have happened if I actually chose to take classes… Do you think I would have become a musician?!"

Her voice raised in excitement and I laughed a little.

"I'm sure you would" I said with a smirk "Yo're the kind of girl who nails pretty much everything she tries out"

"You think so?" She said with a small smile "Well, if that is true…"

She fell silent again. What the hell was happening?! Ichiko being silent is like pigs growing wings and beginning to fly. It's not going to happen. So what was this phenomenon happening right in front me!?

"I-Ichiko, are you sure you're not sick or something?"

She didn't answer. Not at first at least.

"No seriously, I'm fine Yosuhei" She said with a smile "Let's just eat our bentos, okay?"

I gave up on the subject, and nodded as I let her settle down beside me. We quickly ate our bentos in considerable silence, which for once wasn't a new thing. The only time Ichiko was ever silent was when she was stuffing herself with food. Soon enough the break was over and we headed back to the classroom to resume our lectures.

That break had caught me a weird sense of confusion. Ichiko's behavior had been strange, and I was without a doubt that something was bugging her, to a big degree. She never acted like that, and she didn't just get bothered like that. So what the hell was going on?

All during that final class that day, I constantly caught myself gazing over at Ichiko, trying to figure her out at a distance. I had a feeling she wanted to tell me something, desperately even. But what?

After class that day I picked up my bag and slipped on my outdoor shoes, before saying bye to my friends and heading out. Though halfway out of the gate, I was stopped by Ayumi.

"Yosuhei, wait up!"

She stepped up to me, a worried look on her face.

"Listen, I need to talk to you about something"

I looked back at her and tilted my head a little in confusion.

"Sure, what is it Ayumi?"

She gulped down a bit of spit and frowned as she took a deep breath.

"Listen, I noticed your notes in class, and…" She mumbled.

I widened my eyes as I realized. Did she…!?

"I noticed some odd writings in your notes" She said with a serious frown "I know you're studying black magic!"

I frowned quietly and huffed as I looked away from her.

"And so what if I am!?" I said with a growl "What if I am studying black magic!?"

"Don't you know how dangerous that is!?" She said with a frown "If you make the tiniest mistake with a real magic spell, you could get yourself killed!"

"I don't care, Ayumi!" I said, my anger flaring to life "I don't give a damn if it kills me! I was supposed to die in that damn school anyway!"

I didn't mean to say it so angrily. Ayumi stared at me shocked, a bit taken aback by my apparent lack of care for my own health. She frowned and gripped a bit at her shirt over her chest.

"Yosuhei, that's not…"

"You know it is, Ayumi!" The anger I had bottled up inside was spilling over "I don't deserve to live! I don't deserve to be alive! And I almost died in there! I would rather trade my life for Seiko's, than to live with this guilt any more!"

I growled and clenched my teeth. It didn't matter anymore. I had said it, so I might as well finish it.

"I will never stop trying! I WILL bring Seiko back, even if I have to sacrifice every got damn limb on my body, to finally get to see her beautiful face again! IF I HAVE TO SELL MY SOUL TO GODDAMN LUCIFER HIMSELF, I WILL GET TO SEE HER AGAIN!"

I collapsed on my knees and cried. It was said. I would go to the end of the world for Seiko, and that want to see her again was boiling up inside me, it was driving me insane, if I hadn't been already.

"YOSUHEI, WE ALL WANT TO SEE THEM AGAIN!"

Ayumi stepped forward and gripped at my shoulders desperately.

"BUT YOU CAN'T GET THEM BACK! No matter how much effort you put into it, YOU WILL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN!"

I growled and backed away from her. No, NO! I would definitely get her back. I just had to keep going.

"No… No you're lying" I looked up at her in defiance. She had to be lying "You're lying! You're with the spirits… You just want to see me suffer!"

"Y-Yosuhei what the hell are you saying!?"

This once again took Ayumi away, and she looked up at me with a confused expression. I had snapped. Even I could tell that the words slipping out of my mouth didn't make any sense at all. Why would Ayumi be on the spirit's side? She was almost killed by them too. And the little girl I had seen in my visions seemed to think that whatever members of her family was left, was to be trusted.

Ayumi and I was from the same family, the Shinozaki's. She was my cousin. But the dark madness inside me had grown even in this world, and I was now fully determined to proof that she was out for my life.

I could feel the same strange power flood over me, as when I was in Heavenly Host, and almost killed Naomi. The darkening, as Naho had called it. But at the same time I felt like it was mixed with something of my own, and this time I didn't completely lose consciousness when it overtook me. I could control it to some degree, and as the dark mist ran over my body, Ayumi took a few steps back in fear.

"Don't interfere…" I said silently, glaring up at her menacingly "I won't hesitate to kill anyone standing in my way…"

"Yosuhei… What are you even saying!?" She choked out through raspy breathing and tear stained eyes "Is that what Seiko would have wanted?!"

I frowned quietly and felt a sting of guilt. Though this was for her sake. I couldn't afford to be weak now, so when Ayumi confronted me with her question, I turned away from her, and walked away. I left.

Ayumi didn't dare to follow after me because of the dark mist around me, so when I had walked for about half an hour, without caring where I went, I was all alone. On a lonely road. It was a straight road forward, with houses on both sides, the street being cut off by tall walls. I leaned against the wall and collapsed, leaning against it as I curled my legs up under me.

I didn't feel pain anymore, and the dark mist around me was gone by now. It was just me there, all alone. It felt fitting, in some way. But just as I wallowed in my own sadness and guilt, someone interrupted me, and I gazed up at the person.

It was a girl. She had long blonde hair, sat up in pigtails and so long that it almost reached her feet. She was wearing a white fancy dress with flower patterns on the under frill, and blood red ribbons and accessories on the arms, her chest, and on the short frilly skirt. The dress was sitting so that she could show off a cleavage, but it didn't seem like she was that type of girl.

Her eyes were cyan, but something about her gaze seemed unsettling to me, despite her doll-like and petite appearance.

"Yo, asshole"

She said this as she gazed down at me. Not the porcelain doll girl her dress seemed to make of her, I guess.

"What is it? What do you want?" I almost spit at her as I looked up at her with a frown "Can't you just leave me alone!?"

She huffed quietly and I widened my eyes as a huge scythe suddenly popped up out of nowhere, and was suddenly set just under my nose.

"You'd best be listening to me, you little shit" She said threateningly "I'm actually trying to help your ungrateful ass"

I growled angrily and pushed her scythe out of the way with my arm before getting back to my feet. Because of my anger, I could feel my powers awaken again, and the dark aura began to take over again.

"And what can you help me with, huh!?" I growled, my voice turning extremely dark and hollow "if you dare to touch me, I won't hesitate to rip you apart, limb from limb!"

She smirked quietly and laughed a little to herself in… Wonder!? Did she find my anger humorous!?

"I like your attitude kid" She said with a smirk "What if I told you I have a way for you to get your deceased loved ones back?"

I widened my eyes and stared at her in shock. I felt the want to kill her leave me like the air from a balloon, and my aura disappeared.

"W-What!?"

"You heard me!" She said with another dark giggle "What if I told you a book in this world can resurrect the dead!? The Book Of Shadows!"

I frowned quietly and huffed.

"If this is your attempt at joking, it's not very funny" I mumbled "You must be joking. In all of my research I've never once heard about this Book Of Shadows or whatever"

"Well, you just gotta know where to look" She said with a smirk, raising an object from her skirt pocket "These two stones, when put together, can transport souls in and out of dimensions. A sort of soul medium, if you want. It only works though, when two very powerful black magic users combine them. Besides myself, only the Shinozakis remain who can use them"

"And where do you plan to take me with those stones?"

"Oh I'm not TAKING you there" She said with a smirk "You have two options here. Come with me, and get the chance to resurrect your friends, or stay here and live on, with the guilt of their death"

I growled angrily. This couldn't be real. She must have been toying with me.

"You're lying! There is no such thing as a Book of Shadows!"

She sighed silently and put away her scythe and the stones, to show me something else. A picture. I took a closer look at it, and almost puked in shock as I saw what it was.

It seemed to be a child's spirit, holding an object in each hand. A bloodspotted axe in her right hand, and a big book with a cruel face in the other. The face of the spirit itself was blurred, but I could still see it's surroundings perfectly clear. And I had spent enough time in there to guess where this picture was taken.

"Are you meaning to tell me Heavenly Host still exists!?"

She nodded and smirked.

"Damn straight. And somehow, the artifact known as The Book of Shadows, has materialized there."

"But why do you want to help me so eagerly!?" I asked in desperation, getting more and more hopeful "I don't even know you!"

"Let's just say, that the people I pretend to cooperate with, have a very big interest in that artifact" She said flatly "Since the stones can't be used by only one person, I need someone insane enough to accept to travel there with me, so I can retrieve the book"

"And since you know I'm desperate, I was the perfect candidate" I mumbled silently "But how do you know so much about me!? And how do you know I have friends to resurrect, in the first place!?"

"I have ears everywhere in this city, just in case" She said, seemingly growing tired with all the questions "Now, are you coming or what!?"

I frowned quietly and gulped, gazing down at the pavement. I needed to go. I wanted to see Seiko again. I NEEDED to see her again. It didn't take me many moments to answer, but…

"WAIT!"

"A-Ayumi!?"


	5. Chapter 5 - Returning To The Source

_Corpse Party_

 _Do I Want To Move On?_

 _Chapter 5 – Returning To The Source_

~Yosuhei's POV~

"Yosuhei, you can't go with her! She's full of nonsense!"

"Why can't you just go die in a hole somewhere?!" The girl said irritatedly as she stepped between me and Ayumi.

"Ayumi, what do you mean?!" I asked silently as I stared at her "This is my only chance I have left, if I want to see Seiko again!"

"No, Yosuhei please understand" She pleaded desperately "I've been doing my own occult research. The Book Of Shadows doesn't give life. It's a book of darkness, it only knows of evil!"

"No! I don't believe you!" I screamed as I covered my ears "Even if it's true, I still want to go! I need to use every opportunity I have!"

"How did you even know where to find us?" The girl suddenly asked as she unpacked that massive scythe again "If you don't leave, I might have to kill you brutally"

"You shouldn't have told me so much" Ayumi said with a frown as she turned to the girl, of which I still didn't know her name "If you hadn't told me only the Shinozakis can help you, I would never have thought you would go after Yosuhei next"

"Damn" She mumbled silently "Meh, whatever. I'll just have to kill you to make you shut your little mouth"

"You kill her, I kill you" I said menacingly as I glared at the girl, before turning to Ayumi "Ayumi, I'm sorry but I can't live like this anymore! I need to take this chance!"

Before anyone could react I swiped one of the stones from the girl's hand and clicked it together with her own. Ayumi screamed and ran forward, but when she could finally have reached us it was too late. A flash of light and wind, and we were gone, leaving Ayumi to collapse in sorrow and weep loudly on the street we had stood on mere moments before that.

~Later that day, in the park. Ichiko´s POV~

I frowned quietly as Satoshi and the others gathered from various directions. I had grown worried when Ayumi had called and told me to come here, and I got even more worried when I noticed that Yosuhei was the only one not being with them. He had been replaced with Ms. Yui, our homeroom teacher.

"Guys, what is going on?" I mumbled silently, squeezing my wrist in worry "W-Where's Yosuhei?"

They took a quick unsure look at each other, before Satoshi stepped forward with a uneasy expression.

"Ichiko, you might want to sit down" he said silently "This is a very long story"

I frowned quietly and settled down next to him on a park bench, the others settling in the grass and all around us.

During his entire story, it felt like my whole body was freezing cold, only getting worse the longer he ranted. He ranted on and on about how last year they had used this charm, thinking it was a good-luck charm, and had been transported into a spirit realm known as Heavenly Host, the very same school that had been demolished before Kisaragi Academy's establishment.

At first I thought he was going crazy, but the more he got into his talk, the more detailed his descriptions became, and at one point I nearly puked from what gruesomeness he was telling me. How some of their friends had died in horrible and agonizing ways, how they had seen more death for a few days in there, than they had thought they would ever see in this world.

How much pain and suffering they had all been through. And the final nail in the coffin, was when Satoshi began talking about Yosuhei's obsession about trying to resurrect Seiko, the girl he had described as his former girlfriend, who he had to take a break with because of some complications. The girl I only thought had stopped having contact with Yosuhei, was really dead, hanged by the neck from a noose in some random moldy bathroom stall in a creepy broke down spirit school.

Even how Yosuhei had lost his arm was explained, and what I thought had been a car crash incident, was really Yosuhei having his arm chopped off by a malevolent spirit. Their trip to Heavenly Host has also been why Ms. Yui still had a bit of trouble with raising her arm properly at this time, since she had sustained serious damage.

I didn't want to hear anymore. I wanted to deny Satoshi, yell at him for lying to me, maybe even slap his face so he would come back to his senses, and so I could properly tell him how mad I was for him even speaking of Yosuhei having gotten hurt like that. But the story was so detailed and thought through, that it couldn't possibly be made up.

"O-O-Okay…" I mumbled silently, trying to keep my breathing under control "So if I do decide to believe you, then where is Yosuhei?! Where did he go!?"

"That's what Satoshi was about to tell you, if you would stop screaming in his face" Yoshiki said annoyed, Ayumi giving his hand an unapproving squeeze to make him stop getting riled up.

Satoshi sighed, and when Yoshiki finally rolled his eyes and shut up, he continued.

"That's what Ayumi called us all here for, just now" Satoshi said silently "Ayumi says that Yosuhei has gone back to the dimension holding Heavenly Host, to get his hands on The Book of Shadows"

The Book of Shadows? I was unfamiliar with the name. It honestly sounded like something strange out of a humorously bad horror flick or novel. And yet, just the mention of something like that made a chill run down my spine.

"What the hell is A Book of Shadows?" I asked impatiently, wanting to go get Yosuhei right away.

"The Book of Shadows is a massive book filled to the brim with dark arts and black magic spells" Ayumi explained, crossing her arms over her chest "Whoever is in possession of it gains an incredible dark power, but only people of a certain bloodline, or with certain magical powers can use it"

"Which is why the girl needed Yosuhei" Satoshi concluded "She knows that the Shinozaki's are some of the worlds most powerful black mages in history"

"Exactly" Ayumi nodded.

That's right. Yosuhei Misagara's last name was actually Shinozaki. He was Ayumi's cousin, and a part of a large bloodline of highly regarded and powerful black magic users, all capable of laying ruin to the world if that was their wish. And the Shinozaki family had been protecting and sealing away The Book of Shadows for centuries, generations even, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

"And somehow it's ended up in Heavenly Host," I mumbled silently "And Yosuhei, thinking he can revive Seiko with black magic, wants the book for himself so he can get her back?"

"Exactly" Satoshi confirmed.

It stung a little to know this. I had grown a real close bond with Yosuhei over the last few months, though I wasn't sure why knowing he wanted to revive his ex so bad, hurt so much. I really had no idea.

"Well, if he's there now, then what the hell are we waiting for!?" I asked in impatience "If we want to get him back, let's get going already!"

"I'm afraid that's going to be impossible" Ayumi said silently "The charm that took us to Heavenly Host stopped working just a few months ago, if you're to believe online charm posts"

"B-But what about Yosuhei!?" I was getting desperate "Are we just going to leave him there to be killed by malicious spirits!?"

"Of course not Ichiko, don't be dumb!" Yoshiki said with a frown "We just… Haven't figured out how to get there yet"

"Maybe I can help with that one"

Everyone twirled at the same time to look at the boy who had just approached with an unsettling smirk. I didn't like his presence. Just his being here made me uncomfortable, there was just something about him.

"W-Who the hell are you?" Yoshiki asked as he stepped forward to stand in front of Ayumi protectively "If you're looking for another Shinozaki, then…"

"Calm down big boy, I'm just here to help" The boy said, pulling his dark hoodie down so we could see his face. "The name is Misuto Kiriya. Nice to meet ya"

"What do you want?" Satoshi said with a glare.

"Geez, so hostile" Misuto mumbled as he raised his hand "I have another set of those stones that girl, Magari Miduki, used to take your precious Yosuhei to Heavenly Host. All I need is at least one Shinozaki, and I can travel you all in there with the greatest of ease"

"You know the girl?" Ayumi ask with a suspicious frown "Why are you so ready to help us?"

"Kid, I'm not so convoluted as I want to lie to you" He said, his smirk widening "I don't care about any of you, OR Yosuhei. But I desire The Book of Shadows just as much as Magari does. Though I still need a Shinozaki in order to go there. So why not help each other?"

I looked over to Ayumi in suspicion and I frowned as I turned back to the boy. This reeked far away of bullshit. But, as much as I hated to admit it, he had us on lockdown. If we indeed wanted to help Yosuhei get back from Heavenly Host, we needed those stones in his palm. There was no way around it.

I looked over at Ayumi again, waiting for her decision. Ultimately, this was her decision to make, and just as I looked at her a third time in nervousness, she nodded in determination, before stepping forward.

"I accept your conditions" she said with a frown.

Yoshiki looked over at her as if she had gone mad.

"Ayumi, are you crazy!?" He said angrily "It's so obvious he's going to use the book for himself!"

"What other choice do we have, Yoshiki!?" She retorted, tears welling up in her eyes "I'm scared… And my legs feel like they're about to give in… But we need to find Yosuhei and rescue him!"

Yoshiki growled angrily and looked away, his misery evident in his features. I ignored him so I wouldn't change my mind, and decided to step forward as well. I was just as determined to save Yosuhei like Ayumi was, and I had certain things I had to tell him.

"I will go with her" Now everyone turned towards me "I want to save Yosuhei as badly as Ayumi does. You guys… WE, can't lose anymore people"

"Anyone who doesn't want to go, can stay" Ayumi said, trying to sound brave, though the fear was evident in her voice "But Ichiko and I are going!"

Everyone looked at each other, in Yuka's instance it was up at the rest of us, and at last we heard an annoyed grunt from Yoshiki, who apparently gave up on trying to say no.

"Argh fine, I'm going too" He said with a frown as he stepped forward "What sort of boyfriend would I be if I was unwilling to protect my girlfriend?!"

I noticed a small blush on Ayumi's cheeks and I giggled a little. Misuto acted like he was puking.

"Urgh, I think I'm gonna gag" he said as he gripped at his own throat "If you're done with the mushy soap opera, I have another dimension to visit"

Eventually, Satoshi, Naomi, Yuka, and Ms. Yui also stepped up as volunteers, and we all joined hands tightly so we wouldn't lose contact. Misuto took Satoshi's and my hand and let up take a hold of his hoodie, before he slammed the stones together without much further mishmash.

I gulped quietly and closed my eyes as the close ground around us began to quake, and a bright white light began enveloping all of us. I was scared. Extremely scared. I was pretty much going into a deathtrap, but I felt like Yosuhei was worth it. Only he was worth it.

I blushed a little at the thought, but had no more time to think about it, as the light fully engulfed us, and we suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye.

~At Heavenly Host, Yosuhei's POV~

I groaned quietly and held my hand to my forehead, pain running through my head as I sat up on my knees, looking around. I immediately recognized the place I was lying in. It was the same classroom I had woken up in during my first trip to this place. To Heavenly Host.

"Never thought I would be back here again" I mumbled silently "Wait, where did that girl go…?"

I widened my eyes and stood quickly as I realized she was nowhere in my field of vision. A quick twirl around myself revealed she was not even in the room, and that I had been left alone.

"Oh shit…" I mumbled silently.

Since I had been here before, I knew from experience, that if you were alone, you would die. And not only die, but die painfully and gruesomely, evident by how Emi had died.

"Alright, so first thing first, find that girl" I mumble silently "And steal The Book of Shadows if I find it along the way"

I sighed silently and felt how my entire body was trembling from fear. It was only natural. A disturbing though came to mind.

"I wonder if I'll lose my other arm in here too" I mumbled. I widened my eyes as I realized what I had just said "Geez, five minutes in here, and I'm already babbling like a madman"

I sighed silently and took a deep breath, before I stepped outside, and looked around. Everything felt wrong, not just the atmosphere around me, or the feeling of dusty air filling my lungs. Everything was off. It almost seemed like the whole area had changed, though I couldn't quite put my finger on exactly how it had changed.

"This isn't right…" I mumble silently "Better find that girl and get the book. Seiko… I'm going to get you back this time, I swear to everything unholy…"

I took a deep breath and proceeded down the hall. The further I walked, the more uncomfortable I got, nervous and afraid. Every corner I rounded, I expected someone to jump out at me, and chop me down with an axe or something.

"Man… I really don't want another Sachiko versus arm, situation" I mumbled as I gulped down my spit in nervousness "Holy hell, this is even worse than I thought"

I continued down the hall and frowned in nervousness, my heart all the way up into my throat the entire time.

~Somewhere in Heavenly Host, Miduki's POV~

I groaned a little as I woke up on the floor of some dusty empty classroom. I smirked quietly and looked down at the stone in my hand, easily able to draw a connection to the situation.

"Heh, so I'm finally here" I said with a smirk "Guess that Shinozaki guy really was powerful enough. Lucky he's got his forefathers blood in him"

I stood up and dusted off my dress before looking around. It was everything that I had imagined to be and more. Dark, dank and creepy as hell. I loved it. As much as I liked the spinetingling creepy environment, I pulled out my scythe and held an extra tight grip on it. Who knew what would happen in here?

"After all," I said with a smirk "This is a space created by one of the most powerful Shinozaki's ever. And it contains one of the most powerful dark artifacts ever created"

I chuckled quietly and smiled as I imagined The Book Of Shadows in my possession. As much as I wanted to use the book for my own intensions, and as much as I enjoyed watching lower ones squirm, I didn't want the world to end. And as much as I hate to admit it, I would have to study The Book of Shadows before actually using it. At the moment, I had no idea how to use it without bad consequences.

I frowned quietly and stepped out into the hallway, a mild surprise running over my features. A human, a short girlish one, was limbing around in an almost zombie-ish manner. Her skin was greyed out and her eyes was glasslike, a raspy moan escaping her lips every now and again. It had seemed she had died a long time ago, and was now walking the spirit world as a revengeful spirit.

"Hmph. What a lowlife" I mumbled quietly.

As I approached, I noticed the pink hairpin in the girls hair, setting up a short ponytail in the right side of her hair. Somehow, she seemed much smaller from a distance than right nearby. When I approached even further, I noticed I recognized the uniform she was wearing. As worn down and holed it was, I recognized the color scheme. It was the same uniform those two Shinozaki's had been wearing.

"Shig…. Shiiiiig…"

The girl kept moaning the same name over and over again. Maybe a lover or friend?

"Poor girl" I said with a small smile. Her front was darkened by blood, and I sighed a little as she heard me and turned towards me, an aggressive hiss escaping her lips.

I smiled as she ran forward to tackle me, I stepped aside and stuck out a leg, to let her fall to the ground with a loud moan.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I don't feel like taking care of you today" I said with a smirk as I headed down the hall "I have a book to find…"


End file.
